Coventry City went agonisingly close to pulling off another cup upset with a deserved second half lead being overturned by Tottenham’s big guns from the bench in the final six minutes of an entertaining third round Carabao Cup tie at the CBS Arena.
Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson scored in the 88th and 92nd minutes to cancel out Brandon Thomas-Asante’s opener that looked to have put the Sky Blues on course for the fourth round of the competition.
But despite the ultimate frustration of not being able to see out the game after missing good chances to extend their lead, the positives out-weighed the disappointment, City having more than matched their top flight opponents and given them a real scare. Here we look at some of the big talking points.
Flying the Sky Blue flag
Once again Mark Robins’ men flew the Sky Blues flag for the club with another impressive performance against a top Premier League side. Having beaten Wolves and been denied victory over Manchester United in such dramatic fashion in the FA Cup last season, Coventry further endeared themselves to the neutrals and national media by pushing Spurs to within minutes of an embarrassing Carabao Cup exit.
City thoroughly deserved their lead when it finally came just after the hour and passed up several opportunities to secure their passage into the fourth round of the competition in a pulsating cup tie on the telly.
Multi-million pound margin
Ange Postecoglou made eight changes to his starting line-up that lost 1-0 to north London rivals Arsenal at the weekend, but his starting eleven still had a market value of £196million. The bench, meanwhile, was worth a whopping £267m, including the likes of Son, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and one of the most exciting teenage prospects in British football, Mikey Moore.
For further context, the four players who created and scored Spurs’ two late goals – Kulusevski, Djed Spence, Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson – add up to £123m while the 15 who turned out for the Sky Blues on the night are valued at £50m!
Hiding coming
As disappointing and frustrating as the final result was, the general consensus appears to be that if the Sky Blues can transfer that sort of scintillating football into the league then they are going to give someone a real spanking soon. The squad has made a stuttering start in the Championship but really encouraging back-to-back performances against Watford and Premier League opponents suggests things are starting to click with this exciting group of players.
Robins made seven changes from last weekend and they played so well that it went to show the impressive strength in depth and, perhaps, a glimpse of what City might be capable of when they finally get up to speed. One of the most exciting performances on the night was that of Norman Bassette whose raw talent shone through from minute one as he led the line with an exhilarating centre-forward’s display.
The teenage striker is so quick, leaving Ben Davies for dead on one blistering attack, and showed a really calm head to set up Brandon Thomas-Asante for his goal. His contribution has certainly whet the appetite for a lot more from the young lad who looks a real talent and serious competition for Ellis Simms.
Unsung heroes
Josh Eccles took the captain’s armband and rose to the occasion and the responsibility with an incredibly mature performance as the Academy graduate continues to grow in stature in the team. Jamie Allen, too, so often put down and undervalued by many fans, was back to his best with a really industrious and effective role alongside his younger midfield partner. He read the game well, blocked, tackled and generally mopped up with his trademark non-stop running to help keep Spurs at arm’s length for long periods of the game to show, once again, what a good squad player he is to call upon.